Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Paris Hilton was born on February 17th, 1981, to Rick and Kathy Hilton, making her the great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton hotels and source of the family fortune -- estimated at $300 million. Her grandfather, Conrad "Nicky" Hilton, Jr., also brought some notoriety to the family, as he was the first of Elizabeth Taylor's many ex-husbands. Paris' younger sister, Nicky (born in 1983), shares the throne as co-heiress of the Hilton empire

why is she famous?

"Paris the Heiress" is first-born in the latest generation of the Hilton family (of swanky hotel fame). Fat trust fund aside, she is also known for being a high-society party girl, part-time model, part-time singer, and quasi-actress. Her most notable roles were playing herself on the reality show The Simple Life with Nicole Ritchie, as well as starring in the horror flick House of Wax (2005). She also released her debut self-titled album in 2006. Oh yes, and who could forget the craziness surrounding her June 2007 arrest for driving on a suspended license? Probably no one -- it consumed the news (and the world) for what seemed like months (it was only 22 days).

Paris hilton the model

Because she grew up in Manhattan's ritzy Waldorf-Astoria, the family's New York home, as well as other Hilton digs in Beverly Hills and the Hamptons, Paris didn't yearn for much. Even after she graduated from high school, college didn't appeal to her. So, around the year 2000, Paris decided to branch out and become famous.

She first made a name for herself as a model, and appeared in shows for designers such as Marc Bouwer and Catherine Malandrino, and she later completed an ad campaign for Iceberg, an Italian label. In addition, Paris posed for spreads in national magazines such as GQ, Vanity Fair and FHM, and has been profiled, along with her sister, in People magazine.

Paris hilton in the tabloids

What better way to become famous than to be seen in the tabloids? Paris Hilton became the center of attention because of her relationships -- real or imagined by the paparazzi -- with some of Hollywood's hottest young stars including Leonardo DiCaprio, Terminator 2's Edward Furlong and boxer Oscar de la Hoya. Paris was linked with actor and Tommy Hilfiger model, Jason Shaw (to whom she was engaged to), Sum 41 lead singer Derek Whibley and Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys as well. She was also engaged to Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis, from in 2005.

Her partying ways also landed her in tabloids time and time again (with and without panties)

Paris hilton stars in the simple life

Perhaps in an effort to clean up her image, Paris tried to make her mark and worked on more substantial projects. In 2001, she had a cameo appearance in Ben Stiller's fashion spoof, Zoolander. Other appearances included a role as a strung-out supermodel in the film short QIK2JDG, The Hillz (co-starring boyfriend Jason Shaw), Wonderland, and the big-screen adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic, The Cat in the Hat. She also starred in the FOX reality show The Simple Life with gal pal Nicole Ritchie, which featured the two Hollywood starlets living on a farm

Paris hilton on sex video

Paris Hilton grabbed headlines in late 2003 once again thanks to a sex tape that leaked out starring then-boyfriend Rick Solomon. The video, 1 Night in Paris, was released on the net and, of course, spread like wildfire.

Just months later Paris Hilton appeared in 2004's Raising Helen, starring Kate Hudson

Paris hilton goes to jail

Paris probably received more media attention during her 22 days in jail than any other time, and the paparazzi gathered in hoards to constantly film her. She was charged in September 2006 with driving under the influence, and in June 2007, she served 22 days in Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood. Her much-publicized release finally came on June 26, 2007.

She will visit Rwanda in November 2007 as part of a post-jail promise to spread awareness on the country.